. >> reporter: after the trauma of the sandy hook massacre the urgent call to limit americans' easy access to guns has met with some stiff resistance and exposed america's cultural divide over firearms. the president offered 23 different executive actions which would strengthen background checks, better address the issue of mental health and call for armed officers in schools that want them, but the politics of gun legislation are fraught with danger for the president. there are 24 senate seats up for grabs in 2014 including in the gun friendly states of arkansas, new hampshire, iowa, louisiana and south dakota which suggest any gun control measures will have to be a compromise. >> everyone is trying to divert from the core issue which is there is a huge consensus in the country including a vast majority of republicans that things like assault weapons, high capacity magazines, universal background checks, making progress on mental health, these are things we should and can do to help reduce gun violence. >> i think this is a moment we can do something about mental health, about information